Tailoring Infographics on Water Resources Through Iterative, User‐Centered Design: A Case Study in the Peruvian Andes

Abstract

Effective communication and knowledge sharing across stakeholder groups (e.g., science, government, business, civil society, farmers, and the general public) are essential for more informed water resource management. Visualizations and graphics are powerful tools to engage diverse groups with unfamiliar information. Despite this potential, the design of visuals within applied science settings often does not involve end‐user interaction or explicit consideration of their existing knowledge systems, perspective, requirements, and context of use. As a result, products are often difficult for users to understand and contextualize. While user interaction and the development of tailored visualizations is increasingly promoted as a potential remedy, limited empirical evidence exists that shows the potential impact and can guide the development of specific approaches. We piloted an iterative and user‐centered design methodology toward the tailoring of infographic‐style posters in the context of Peruvian water governance. To test whether tailoring demonstrably improves the perceived effectiveness of products, we designed three products that conveyed similar information but were tailored to three different audiences (an Andean agricultural, urban professional, and urban general). We then compared the tailored posters to those tailored to other audiences by means of interviews and user grading. We found that end‐users perceive products that have undergone tailoring as more interesting, clearer, and more useful than products designed without explicit user consideration. Our findings indicate that identifying groups with shared characteristics and requirements is key for effective tailoring. Our research provides empirical evidence to support the incorporation of user‐centered design methods in water resource management contexts.

A user-centred design framework for disaster risk visualisation

“…Many fields have used UCD to develop visualisations for different purposes for different contexts [49,50], for example developing training manuals [51], educational material for physicians [52], posters for water governance [53], software showcasing energy use [54] and environmental decision support systems [55]. It is also very common in the sphere of "gamification"-transforming activities, systems, services or products or organizational structure into "gameful" experiences [56].…”

Towards more effective visualisations in climate services: good practices and recommendations

“…Rather, they are often reached at a later stage for the testing of the final visualisation. Although this is still useful to identify issues and ensure that the information is interpreted as intended by climate service providers, a truly transdisciplinary co-design approach goes beyond final testing and entails involving stakeholders from the very beginning and throughout all the stages of the visualisation co-development (McInerny et al 2014;Lorenz et al 2015;Grainger et al 2020). This means co-exploring multiple visualisation options while keeping an 'agile' approach that allows to adapt outputs as user needs may change.…”

Barriers and Opportunities for Actionable Knowledge Production in Drought Risk Management: Embracing the Frontiers of Co-production

“…Contextual analysis and participatory design approaches can inform the development of tailored communications and interactions (Hannaford et al, 2018;Grainger et al, 2020). Some stakeholders may require technical information (SPI, severities, probabilities), others might just want high-level information about the general hydrological trend.…”